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How can we make sure Europe’s future is based on its core values and strengths?

Europe's core values include human rights, freedom of speech, and equality, and we know that young people are keen to defend these rights. Diversity and tolerance can be a source of new ideas and can help to bring people together. Are these values in doubt nowadays? Why do you think that is? How can we ensure that the Europe of the future has these values at its heart?

Ideas

Evaluate and clearly define what those core values and strengths are and also live up to them instead of just forcing them onto people.
In the end I think the EU should be the trade organization it once was, we do not need political or military directives from the EU. The whole parliament could be just run by the ministers of Finance or Foreign Affairs and you woud not need the monstrous organization that is now in place and costst waaaaaaay too much for what it delivers.

I think the easiest way to ensure, that the core values will always be important is just to use them in practise. We talk about the unification in diversity, but when it comes to the realisation of this statement, we can't face up to the basic problems. We describe ourselves as tolerant, but often we see the foreigners as the almost-free workforce. When the Brexit-supporters argued about the rising number of immigrants and their rights to benefit from social welfare, the remain-side counterpunched with the fact, that people from Central-East Europe do jobs the British would never agree to get. Should be the utility the main reason of somebody's right to stay? In the times of migrant crisis this debate became only more aggressive. Even those, who want to give the refugees a shelter, talk about the positive impact they would have on our economics and use this statement as the crucial argument. I can't say I really want to meet others and get to know them or their cultures if the only thing I can see in them is the smaller or bigger economical value.
That kind of thinking leads to exclusion and the bigger the excluded group is, the more problems, sooner or later, will it cause. We have to understand, that leaving the weaker ones alone as long as a tragedy has not happened can give us nothing good. People with no perspectives and a feeling of abandonment and disappointment will not share our values, as they seem to be the empty words to them, since they have never seen their practical realisation. Here begins the never-ending story of hatred spreading hatred and uncountable score of wrongs on both sides of rising conflict.
The key to ground the tolerance is to use it in everyday life. The economy is the tool, that should give all of us the life in dignity and without fear of tomorrow, not the aim, we can sacrifice people on the path to.

In my opinion the values of diversity and tolerance, which are essential for human rights and equality, are not being nurtured properly either in quality of quantity across Europe. I see very little proper cultural exchange amongst European countries, or the EU member states. Unfortunately, American pop culture and Hollywood cinema has almost totally taken over and suffocated our European cultures that struggle to find space. This is not a stance against the USA. Obviously, there is value in American culture too. The problem is that Europeans are far more open to cinema, music and cultural practices from the other side of the Atlantic than they are to the culture of their own neighbours and fellow citizens of the EU. This situation is also the product of editors and the mass media which overtly favour Anglo-Saxon, and more particularly American culture. This, in my view, is one of the greatest obstacles to promoting a closer and more friendly relationship between European countries. We must get to know each other and experience each other's customs (excluding bull fighting) and arts.

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The ideas you submit to this online consultation will contribute to a report to be presented to the European Parliament. Your ideas will be used to influence the visions and decisions of the European institutions. The New Narrative for Europe is a chance to shape Europe’s future!

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Popular Comments

25 July, 2016 - 20:08

In my opinion the values of diversity and tolerance, which are essential for human rights and equality, are not being nurtured properly either in quality of quantity across Europe. I see very little proper cultural exchange amongst European countries, or the EU member states. Unfortunately, American pop culture and Hollywood cinema has almost totally taken over and suffocated our European cultures that struggle to find space. This is not a stance against the USA. Obviously, there is value in American culture too. The problem is that Europeans are far more open to cinema, music and cultural practices from the other side of the Atlantic than they are to the culture of their own neighbours and fellow citizens of the EU. This situation is also the product of editors and the mass media which overtly favour Anglo-Saxon, and more particularly American culture. This, in my view, is one of the greatest obstacles to promoting a closer and more friendly relationship between European countries. We must get to know each other and experience each other's customs (excluding bull fighting) and arts.

I think the easiest way to ensure, that the core values will always be important is just to use them in practise. We talk about the unification in diversity, but when it comes to the realisation of this statement, we can't face up to the basic problems. We describe ourselves as tolerant, but often we see the foreigners as the almost-free workforce. When the Brexit-supporters argued about the rising number of immigrants and their rights to benefit from social welfare, the remain-side counterpunched with the fact, that people from Central-East Europe do jobs the British would never agree to get. Should be the utility the main reason of somebody's right to stay? In the times of migrant crisis this debate became only more aggressive. Even those, who want to give the refugees a shelter, talk about the positive impact they would have on our economics and use this statement as the crucial argument. I can't say I really want to meet others and get to know them or their cultures if the only thing I can see in them is the smaller or bigger economical value.
That kind of thinking leads to exclusion and the bigger the excluded group is, the more problems, sooner or later, will it cause. We have to understand, that leaving the weaker ones alone as long as a tragedy has not happened can give us nothing good. People with no perspectives and a feeling of abandonment and disappointment will not share our values, as they seem to be the empty words to them, since they have never seen their practical realisation. Here begins the never-ending story of hatred spreading hatred and uncountable score of wrongs on both sides of rising conflict.
The key to ground the tolerance is to use it in everyday life. The economy is the tool, that should give all of us the life in dignity and without fear of tomorrow, not the aim, we can sacrifice people on the path to.

This website has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information made available on the website.